Anna Wintour Named Artistic Director Of Conde Nast

Vogue editor Anna Wintour has been given a broad new portfolio at the Conde Nast magazine empire, the New York Times reported Tuesday night. The fashion legend, who is approaching her 25th year at the helm of Vogue, will now be the "artistic director" of the entire company. The paper reported that the job was designed to keep Wintour from leaving Conde Nast.

While she will maintain her editorship of Vogue, Wintour will consult with and advise editors of other magazines, as well as have a hand in the ongoing evolution of Conde Nast. The Times noted that the new role would cement her as "one of the most powerful women in the magazine industry." With titles like Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Glamour and GQ, Conde Nast is an industry behemoth, though it has been forced to cut back on some of its famously carefree budgets in recent years. Its parent company, Advance, has also been making deep cuts in its newspaper division.

Wintour's new job also means that any ambitions she may have had to become President Obama's ambassador to the United Kingdom have been put on the shelf. She raised millions of dollars for Obama during the 2012 campaign. Reports in December that she was being considered for a diplomatic post led to a flurry of interest from the press. The job, alas, went to someone else.